The Worthy One
by stuckbeingrachel
Summary: [These four girls were on vacation, but because of a bracelet dropped by a thief, they found themselves stuck with the responsibility of choosing which of four princes has the right of succession of the throne. When they had gotten off the plane, they hadn't expected that their calm, normal lives would become dramatic whirlwinds of chaos.] Jara, Peddie, Jabian, Amfie! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**This was supposed to be a prologue- but I got a bit carried away...**

**Everyone voted for the Worthy One. At first, I only had this chapter written, but yesterday I was drowned by a flood of ideas (for many stories I might add).**

**Enjoy!**

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The four girls seated in the limo sunk back into the cushions. They had been grabbed by tall men at the airport and dragged into the car. No one seemed to notice or care enough to help them. So there they were, side by side, across from three of them, the other being the driver. None of the girls dared to say anything, worried that if they did say something they would be hurt. And none of them wanted to get hurt or cause harm toward their friends.

Patricia Williamson was the first of the girls. She was trying so very hard not to explode in their faces. First, her luggage had been stolen, and then she was shoved into a sleek, white limo with a couple of thugs.

Joy Mercer was beside her, their arms link as a form of comfort for both of them. She didn't know what was happening, but it was definitely the most interesting thing that had happened to any of the girls. They had gone to a private boarding school most of their lives and didn't have many experiences to look back on.

Mara Jaffray was next along the line. She nervously wrung her hands in her lap. She had never had so many hard eyes on her before. They were piercing through her, and she was uncomfortable; so much attention from only three people. But she was more worried for Amber Millington beside her.

She held a bracelet; a thick bangle. It was gold and had several stones placed in it. It had been dropped by one of the men that had stolen their luggage. Every few seconds, one of the thugs' eyes would flit to it and then back to gazing at the girls emotionlessly. And Mara suspected that the bracelet had to do with every reason why they had been shoved in the car.

Suddenly, the car came to a halt, and the door was opened. The men hustled the girls out of the car. Their eyes grew wide at the sight before them. It wasn't court and it wasn't a police cell either. A large fountain and many colorful flowers blooming all over the place and a building towering in the distance. A castle—no, more like a palace.

Then the men started rushing them toward the palace, hurrying them through the seemingly never ending square. Before long, they ended up in front of a large gate. The men spoke to the guards at the gate and then took off quickly.

The girls were left alone and they were about to call out to the men, panicked, but the great, heavy gate swung open in front of them with a loud screech.

"I have been waiting for you four."

The girls' eyes landed on a tall, stiff looking man. He had black hair that was slicked back, and a crisp, clean suit on. He slightly adjusted the monocle he wore, brown eyes glancing over the four girls.

"Who are you?" Joy asked.

"My name is Ivan. I am the butler at this palace." he replied.

"Oh, hi…" she waved slightly and the others nodded their acknowledgement.

"His Majesty, King Phillip is dying to meet you all. Please, walk this way." He said, turning swiftly and heading down the large hallway, lined with a red, gold stitched carpet.

"His Ma—what!?" Patricia sputtered in disbelief.

The girls looked at each other in confusion before scurrying after the butler. They didn't have time to try to answer any of the question that were running through their heads for they were soon standing in the middle of a throne room, before a man that emanated dignity from his entire body.

He sat in his throne, high and mighty. He looked to be in his late forties. His wavy brown hair fell into his sparkling blue eyes. His skin was a perfect tan, and he had a strong chin. He wore an off white cloak that fell behind his broad shoulders and trousers of the same color, with a red shirt.

"Are you the thugs that intends to overthrow my 800 year old family?" he asked smoothly.

"You are in front of the King. Behave yourselves." Ivan warned quietly.

The girls looked at each other in shock. They were in front of the king of this country? Why? What did he want with them? And then Patricia's head whipped around to look at the man in shock. Did he just call them thugs?

"The bracelet you are carrying belongs to the King and his family." Ivan explained, referring to the piece of jewelry Amber held tightly. "It had been missing for a few days. Who knew a couple girls like you four had stolen it."

"We didn't steal it!" Patricia protested.

"Do not raise your voice." The butler scolded. "Why do you have the bracelet?"

"Ivan, at least let the girls explain themselves before you interrogate them." the King chuckled.

"As you say, your Highness." Ivan bowed his head.

"Now, girls, if you have anything to say for yourselves, let me hear it now." King Phillip spoke to them directly once more. His voice was firm but his eyes were kind.

Mara answered him. "Well, sir, we have just arrived for our holiday as a way to celebrate our graduation of high school. At the airport, men stole our luggage. One of the dropped them bracelet that my friend his holding. And before we could take care of what had happened, we were taken to a car. And now we're here."

"I see…" he murmured.

The girls nodded. It was the truth after all.

"It sounds pretty plausible for something completely made up." Ivan stated.

"She's not making it up; it's true!" Amber defended her friend.

"Very well, I believe you, girls." The King said a while later.

"What, really," Joy questioned.

"The king is a man of his word." Ivan said.

"However…" Phillip started.

"W-what is it?" Mara wondered worriedly.

"How would you four like to being the next four women in my harem?" he asked with a smile. "That would make 100."

"What?" Patricia shrieked.

Mara's cheeks burned with a blush as her shoes suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world and the others stared at him in incredulity.

"Your Highness," Ivan said lowly.

Phillip chuckled. "Well, never mind."

"My liege does like his little jokes." Ivan said with a smile pulling at the corners of his lips, which were pressed into a thin line. He glared at the girls and spoke sharply. "The bracelet you carry is not just an ordinary bracelet. The one who carries it has the right of succession to the throne."

The girls' eyes grew wide.

"Even if you stole it, the fact that you have it gives you that right." Ivan continued.

"What? We could never have a job as important as that!" Joy objected.

"I have been very well aware of that for some time now." The butler said snippily as he stared at them with an appalled look.

"Call my sons." Phillip ordered.

"Right away, your Majesty." Ivan nodded.

He disappeared and soon came back with four men in a tow.

The first one had dark skin and brown eyes that were lit up with excitement and mischief, but they were also kind like King Phillip's. He had short, dark brown hair and he smiled brightly at the four girls. He wore a green cloak and a white shirt with gray trousers.

The second one was the shortest of the men. He had shaggy brown hair like his father and his eyes were more gray than blue. He was a shade paler than King Phillip. His cloak was blue and he wore white shirt and black trousers. A book was tucked under his arm and he waved at them shyly.

The third one was taller than the other two. His hair was dirty-blonde and styled nicely, and his eyes were a bright green. He had tan skin and broad shoulders like his father. He stood tall with his arms crossed. His cloak was purple and his shirt and trousers were black. He gave a nod of acknowledgement to the girls.

The last one was the tallest. He had styled blonde hair with a single almond streak that was highlighted by the light. His eyes were a sparkling blue like his father's, but they held no emotion. Power and might emanated from him. His skin was pale, which was emphasized by his crimson colored cloak. His shirt was white and his trousers were black. He looked at the girls boredly, constantly checking his watch.

"Hmm, these are the girls with the bracelet?" the one with the green eyes said. Those eyes scanned their bodies from head to toe.

"They're supposed to choose who is to be king?" the dark skinned one wondered, tilting his head in confusion.

"I think they're all pretty cute." His brother grinned at them.

"In any case, it is clear that they hold the future of our country." the blonde said.

"Get off their backs, okay? They look frightened." The dark skinned one spoke again.

The brunette was silent as he listened to his brothers speak.

"These are the princes, who each have the right of succession." Ivan explained the question that was burning in the girls' minds.

"Um, sir," Ivan cut in with a clear of his throat.

"Am I wrong, Ivan?" the king asked.

"No, sire," the butler answered after a pause.

"So there you have it, girls. It's up to you four to pick the next king." Phillip stated.

"What?" Joy turned to look at him incredulously.

"We can't do that!" Amber objected.

"We haven't even met them; how are we to choose which is suited to be king?" Mara questioned.

"There is no hurry." The king replied. "You can stay here for a while. Use that time to pick the best candidate."

"B-but we can't make an important decision like that."

"Then would you prefer to receive the punishment for your theft." Ivan arched an eyebrow at the four.

"Punishment," Amber repeated warily.

"I don't know about England, but theft is a major crime in this country." he responded. "Regardless of the amount stolen, it is punished by death."

The girls' eyes widened once again.

"Then there is only one option." Phillip smiled at them.

All they could do was nod silently. They couldn't die for something they didn't do. They would have to choose the next king from those four princes. Find the one suited to have the throne and take care of the country.

How did they end up in a crazy situation like this?

"Well now, let's see what these girls are made of shall we?" the green eyed one smirked, his arm wrapping around Joy's waist as he pulled her into him. She shrieked in surprise and tried to pry him off of her.

"Wait, wait don't forget that I'm the oldest." The emotionless, blonde one piped in.

"This is about the right of succession. Age doesn't matter." he corrected his brother.

"Would one of you mind telling me a bit about England?" the brunette asked shyly.

"I don't really care about all that stuff." The dark skinned one stated. "I'd much rather go play some video games."

"Wait; hold on, what's going on here?" Patricia cut into their babbling, pulling Joy away from the prince.

"We can't get to know any of you if you all are just going to keep talking. I can't hear myself think." Joy sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Let's just decide who we should all talk to, and then we'll talk amongst ourselves, later." Mara suggested.

"That's a great idea, Mars." Patricia complimented. "We'll rotate the bracelet between the four of us every day so Amber doesn't have to carry it all the time. But Amber, since you have it right now, you get to choose which prince you'll speak with."

"Um," the blonde tapped her chin in thought. "He looks fun." She bounced right up to the dark skinned one and smiled happily, holding out her hand. "I'm Amber."

"Alfie," he grinned boyishly and gently shook her hand.

"Joy?" Mara smiled at her friend and the brunette quietly walked up to the one with the book.

"I'm Joy," she smiled.

"I'm Fabian, it's a pleasure to meet you Joy." He shook her hand.

"Mara, would you absolutely hate me for all eternity, if I let you have the cold blonde and I take the one with the green eyes?" Patricia asked guiltily.

"Patricia!"

"I know, I'm sorry; it's just that, I feel that if I'm with him too long he'll do something that'll make me insult him and I'll be like, beheaded or something." She explained.

"Does she ever stop talking?" they heard one of the men ask.

"No, Trish, you said that right in front of him. I'm sure he can hear you." Mara scolded before the auburn haired girl could react to the prince's question.

"Oh, right…" she sucked in a worried breath.

"It's okay; you choose who you wanna talk to." Mara smiled.

Patricia smiled and hugged her friend before boldly stepping up to the blonde with the green eyes. He smirked down at her.

"I'm Patricia," she introduced herself nicely.

"More like Yacker." He grinned at her teasingly.

Patricia's slightly forced smile dropped and she glared at him.

"Eddie," he bowed slightly, winking at her discreetly.

"Eddie Krueger?" she scoffed.

He let out a laugh, looking down as his hands slipped into the pockets of his trousers. "I think you mean _Freddie _Krueger."

"Whatever," she snapped with a roll of her jade green eyes.

The others looked over at Mara and the oldest prince.

"I'm Mara," she tipped her head respectively.

"Jerome," he replied, looking down at his watch once again. "I apologize for cutting our introduction short, but I have a meeting with a counselor that cannot wait."

And without another word, he brushed past her and left the throne room.

"I'm really sorry, Mars." Patricia said softly, guilt weighing on her shoulders.

"It's okay, Patricia; I'm sure I can get him alone soon." Mara assured her.

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**That was the first chapter. **

**Review?**

_**"I'm so sick; infected with where I live. Let me live without this empty bliss; selfishness. I'm so sick."**_

**-Rachel**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy!**

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The girls turned when a throat cleared behind them. Ivan stood near a door. "I've been instructed by the king to show you to the rooms you'll be staying in." he said.

Bidding the princes farewell, the girls followed the butler silently. After a while, they doubted that they'd ever find their way around the large palace. There were so many hallways and doors; they'd need a map.

"Here is Miss Amber's bedroom." Ivan announced, opening a door to their left.

They stepped into the room and Amber gasped. "This is huge! It's my room?"

"Yes, is it to your liking?"

"Absolutely, it's beautiful!" she grinned at him.

Ivan visibly relaxed and led the three others to the next room to allow Amber to get settled in hers. The next room was Joy's and she expressed her gratitude to him. As Ivan showed Mara and Patricia to their rooms, he realized that they weren't like any other guests that they had stayed in the palace. They were kind and satisfied with what he had prepared for them.

He bowed as he left Mara's room, but she called out for him before he could shut the door. "Yes, miss?" he acknowledged.

"Why is Prince Jerome so distant?" she asked quietly, tucking a stand of her dark hair behind her ear.

"He's not exactly distant, Miss." He replied. "He takes his role as prince very seriously. He's not like the other princes. He does his work and he does it well. He may act like he doesn't care, but he certainly does."

"He just acted a bit cold to me." she said. She felt awfully guilty talking about the prince behind his back, but she needed to know how to speak to him.

"He isn't very good at showing his emotions, Milady. Give him time; he'll come around." Ivan replied with a small smile.

Mara nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Ivan."

"A pleasure, Miss Mara." He bowed again. "If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask."

And with that, he left the room, leaving Mara to her thoughts.

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The next morning, the four girls left their bedrooms and met in the hallway. Patricia groaned quietly, running a hand through her hair.

"Okay, what are we going to about this? My clothes from yesterday disappeared last night."

"Mine did as well." Amber piped in. "That blouse was expensive."

Mara looked down at the silky, crimson colored pajamas she wore. They had been on the bed, waiting for her, the night before. She was grateful that she didn't have to sleep in her jeans, but she definitely didn't want to spend the day in the pajamas.

"Ah, I see you four are awake."

The girls jumped slightly at the voice and turned to Ivan as he walked up to them. In his arms was a stack of folded clothes. He easily distributed the four outfits between the girls and awaited their responses.

"These are our clothes." Joy pointed out in astonishment.

"Yes, I had them washed and pressed while you were asleep so you had something fresh to wear today." Ivan explained. "His Majesty has given you all permission to go into town and go shopping this afternoon."

"Oh, we couldn't do that." Mara declined, holding her clothes close to her chest.

"Nonsense, Miss Mara, the King's orders are that you four have VIP treatment. He won't take no for an answer."

"Well if he won't take no for an answer," Amber sighed dramatically and then clapped her hands together excitedly. "Shopping spree!"

"Amber!" Joy scolded. "We can't take the King's money just like that."

"What? I don't want to wear the same clothes every day we're here." She scoffed, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Please, just accept. The King will force it upon you if you don't." Ivan smiled slightly at the four of them. "Please, dress and when you are ready, I'll show you to the dining room for breakfast."

The girls nodded and departed to the bedrooms, changing their clothes quickly and brushing through their hair. They entered the hallway once again and scurried after Ivan as he walked through double doors to another hallway. He led them to the end and had the guards that stood there open the closed doors before them.

They stepped into the large room. The walls were an off white color and the floors were marble. There was a red carpet that led from the doors to a long, wooden table. It was covered by a white and gold tablecloth and a feast fit for a king, or rather the four princes that sat in the red velvet lined chairs, already digging into their meal.

"I present the four girls from England." Ivan announced and took a step back.

The girls stood frozen for a moment, wondering where they should sit. Each of the princes looked up at them expectantly. There was an empty seat by each of them. Joy nervously sat down next to Fabian and each of the princes seemed to be okay with that. Finally, Mara, Patricia and Amber each sat next to the princes they had chosen to speak to the day before. The table was quiet while they served themselves some food.

"We pay the servants for a reason." Jerome spoke lowly when one of the servants had stepped forward to serve the food Mara had already given herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I'm just so used to serving myself." She explained herself.

"Get unused to it then."

Patricia's green eyes narrowed toward the blonde before she felt someone's breath against a rip in her jeans that had exposed her pale skin. Her head whipped around and she immediately smacked Eddie's back in shock, without thinking first. His head banged against the table and he grunted.

"Oops, sorry," she said sarcastically, once he had straightened in his chair, rubbing the back of his head. "But that's what you get for breathing on my leg, you pervert."

"Patricia," Joy warned quietly.

"I was just picking up my fork. Geez." He rolled his eyes and Jerome let out a short chuckle.

"Sure, your fork," he scoffed. He wiped his mouth and stood from the table, appearing to be finished with his breakfast.

Mara spoke up quickly. "Uh, Prince Jerome, I'm sorry, but I kinda need to talk to you about some things."

"I'm sorry; I just don't have the time." He replied hastily and left the room.

The servants cleared his spot at the table in a matter of seconds. Mara sighed in disappointment and stood up from her chair as well. She quietly left the room and Patricia groaned.

"I feel guilty now. I should have taken Prince Jerome."

"Don't feel bad, Patricia." Amber said. "No one can dislike Mara Jaffray for a long time; he'll warm up to her eventually."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

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Mara aimlessly wandered around the palace. She hadn't been stopped by a guard as she strolled through the hallways, but she was beginning to get bored. She walked up to one of the men that stood in beside one of the many doors and smiled.

"Does this palace have a library?"

And that's how she found herself surrounded by thousands and thousands of books of all genres. She sat in one of the arm chairs near one of the huge windows, reading a fact book about the country, enjoying the natural light.

"Miss Mara?"

She looked up at Ivan after jumping slightly and she held the book to her chest as she stood up.

"Are you okay? You've been in here since breakfast. It's almost noon." He told her.

She nodded silently and held up the book she was reading. "Do you know where I can find a bookmark? I'd like to continue reading, but I don't want to bend the pages."

"Why don't you just hold onto it; as long as you're staying at the palace, you may read all the books you'd like." He replied with a smile.

"Thank you. The history of this country is very interesting."

"Yes, it is." he tipped his head in agreement. "I apologize, milady, but I did not come to find you to only check on your safety. His Highness, Prince Jerome has summoned you. I am to escort you at once."

"Oh," Mara murmured in surprise but she followed him as he left the library.

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**Sorry about that guys; I kept forgetting to upload this chapter! :P**

**Review?**

_**"Saviour will be there, when you are feeling alone, oh. A saviour for all that you do, so you live freely without their harm." **_

**I literally love that song more than life itself. :')**

**-Rachel**


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